Girl safe after Stonington abduction; suspect in custody

Stonington — A 9-year-old girl who was abducted Monday night, allegedly by a Lisbon man with a long history of violating protective orders, was safely recovered three hours later by police in Richmond, R.I.

According to police, Daniel Candales, 42, of 187 Ross Hill Road was involved in a domestic disturbance with his girlfriend at another location and then abducted her daughter, Daisha Rhodes, in the police department parking lot about 7:05 p.m. during a custody exchange. He then led police on a pursuit in his silver 2005 Ford 250 pickup with a plow and sander through several local towns.

At 10:15 p.m., police canceled the Amber Alert they had issued for the girl, saying she had been recovered safely in Rhode Island and they had Candales in custody. The girl was in the custody of Stonington police late Monday night. The investigation is continuing, but Stonington police as well as departments in Rhode Island are expected to file charges against Candales in the coming days.

Beginning about 7:10 p.m., Stonington police officer Greg Howard spotted Candales and pursued him through Pawcatuck and Westerly before Hopkinton police took over the pursuit. Candales later crossed back into Connecticut on Route 49, and Hopkinton police broke off the chase. A bulletin was then put out to local departments for Candales, who owns a landscaping and snow plowing business in Lisbon.

According to state judicial department records, in a nine-week period last summer, Candales was arrested multiple times by Norwich, Stonington and state police. He was charged with seven violations of a protective order; four criminal violations of a restraining order, two counts of second-degree breach of peace and two counts of interfering with an emergency call, along with third-degree assault, risk of injury to a minor, second-degree harassment, second-degree unlawful restraint, criminal possession of a firearm, second-degree stalking, reckless driving and illegal operation of vehicle. He is next scheduled to appear on all those charges Jan. 7 in New London Superior Court.

Candales has convictions for third-degree sexual assault, second-degree breach of peace, criminal possession of a firearm and a violation of probation.